"I have never worked for a company that was so interested in my opinion."
"At my last job it was a real struggle going in every day but here I am genuinely happy to come to work in the morning because I like the people I work with."
"I would never have been able to progress so quickly at another company. The Richmond group values you for your ability above everything else. The 'office politics' that exist in other organisations doesn’t seem to exist here."
"I enjoy coming to work because of the people I work with. Most of my friends work here."
"This summer when it got really hot we all came in beachwear. That was great, watching everyone else in town going in to work in their shirts and suits and we were all wearing shorts and t-shirts. The Richmond Group is a company that knows how to have fun."
James is the owner and Managing Director of the Richmond Group. Having started CGS, the first company in the group, in his spare time whilst working for another company in 1999 he was struck at the number of people who had been left out in the cold by mainstream lenders and High Street Banks. In the early days James didn’t have the money to invest in advertising so instead he had leaflets printed and delivered them on foot himself. During his first full time month James delivered 30,000 leaflets, walking approximately 300 Km in the process. As Managing Director of The Richmond Group, James has a close involvement with most departments in the company. He spends most of his time talking to team managers and meets with every operator in the group at least once every 6 weeks.
"When I started The Richmond Group it was because I didn’t want to work in a boring 9 to 5 job in a stuffy company. I had worked for other financial companies and had been frustrated at their appetite for growth and the speed with which new ideas were taken on board.
From the beginning I have had two rules, the company has to grow by at least 50% every year, and work has to be fun for everyone. Whilst the first has been surprisingly easy the second has required significant effort along the way. As with any journey there have been highs and lows, but today I can honestly say that there is no other Finance company that I would rather work for. As with most people who work for the Richmond Group, the reason for this is that the people I work with are exceptional. Whilst we all still have a lot to learn before we can say that we are the best, we are making good progress along that path."
"Some of the companies that have inspired me along the way:
Innocent - for their sense of humour and fun, and their refusal to cut corners when it comes to what is important.
Google - For the speed of delivery, development and change. Google has changed the world in less than 5 years.
Zopa - For being one of very few true innovators in the financial services sector.
Easyjet - for taking a lot of the bureaucracy, pomp and ceremony out of air travel and in the process making it more accessible to normal people."
As Operations Director, Jane has one remit; to develop the best team managers in the world. Jane joined the Richmond Group in June 2005. Jane previously worked in Lloyds TSB Insurance for 13 years and led their highly successful direct sales operation. Having reached the top of the direct sales tree at Lloyds, Jane was looking for a new challenge in a very different business.
"I decided that I wanted to work for a forward thinking, smaller company instead of joining another corporation. I chose the Richmond Group because I really identified with the vision and direction of the company's growth. All of the senior management here have a real drive to grow the company, but know that future success is reliant entirely on the people that work here. You hear that at a lot of companies, but what sold me was that at The Richmond Group these are not just words . The Richmond Group is clearly willing to invest time, money and effort in the people that work here. From creating a great place to work to developing the great managers that our teams deserve. The Richmond Groups way of doing things means that developments happen quickly, which is very refreshing.
Can we develop great managers? In a word yes. We focus our managers on the basics first, like regular structured feedback and personal 1-2-1 coaching. Vital elements of team management that in other busy companies don't always get the attention needed. We avoid the bureaucracy and 'paperwork' that many managers in other companies claim get in the way. We appraise Managers regularly with the focus on coaching, motivating and communicating with each of their team members individually. We involve operators in their manager's appraisals and regularly seek feedback from everyone in the company on how well we are doing.
It's already proving to be a recipe for great success. Are our managers the best in the world? Not quite yet, but watch this space.... Some of our managers could certainly compete with top managers outside of our Group, and would stand head and shoulders above them.
What keeps me coming back for more each day is the people that I'm able to work with, being part of a team that works together to make things happen and the belief within this business that anything is possible".
Marc Joined the Richmond Group in 2003 and is a testament to the fact that talented and driven people can get ahead ridiculously quickly. As a call centre operator Marc annoyed his manager so much with his idea of paying secured loan brokers for their tenant applicants that to get him to shut up he let him have 2 hours a day away from his job to prove it. Marc didn’t just use the two hours, he went home and worked in his own time, even coming in unpaid on Bank holidays to prepare mail shots. It wasn’t until we found ourselves having to employ new operators and rent extra office space that we realised the value of his idea. Marc's project turned into our brokerage department that spawned Tenant Loans, and now accounts for 1/3 of our unsecured applications. Nowadays we are a little more supportive of people on special projects but the level of commitment required to get ahead is the same. Marc was made a Director in 2006 at the age of 25, almost 3 years after joining the Richmond Group, and is in charge of special projects. Marc works with developing departments and new group companies to lay the foundations for our continuing development and expansion.
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